


Sugar Cubes

by kurofu



Series: Writing Exercises [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dialogue-Only, Established Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort, M/M, Mentions of the great tea debate, Passive-aggression, Thinly-veiled insults with even thinner cloak of civility, tea time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-08 20:41:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18630892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurofu/pseuds/kurofu
Summary: Writing Exercise 4: Dialogue-onlyAccepting that invitation was an impulse that Lord Voldemort hadn't expected to do.  It was purely an accident that he had signed the innocuous invitation--in his defense, it was in his stacks of paperwork. And he had mindlessly signed it....





	Sugar Cubes

"Come in, come in! I actually didn't expect you to come--"

"Shut up, old man." 

"...Your manner still astounds me, my b--"

"I dare you to finish that."

"...."

"Precisely."

"My--... would you like a cup of tea?"

"Please."

"It will take a while, please, have a seat."

"I thought you were a wizard, not a muggle. Why is the kettle on a _fire_?"

"Why the tea's better that way. Haven't you heard? Magic disrupts the taste of food."

"Then why do House-elves make Hogwarts food?"

"Because they do it with muggle means, of course!"

"...."

"We don't need to sit here all day and stare at one another. We can be adults and converse."

"*You* were the one who called me in, you senile old fool."  
"Oh, do you hear that? I think the kettle's whistling. Tea?"

" _Please._ "

"A dash of Milk? A cube of Sugar?"  
"Just sugar is fine--what in the name of Merlin are you doing?! Are you such a muggle-lover that you would commit such a heinous crime?! Adding milk before the tea?!"

"Well, of course, it should be done this way! How else if not? Now, how much sugar would you like?"  
"Four cubes."

"A-are you sure? Surely you would like less?"

"Four cubes. As a certain person would love to say: 'black as my soul, and sweet as sin.' Although they prefer coffee over tea, an anomaly I would never understand."

"That I agree with. Your tea."  
\---  
"Must you do that with my tea? I would never poison you, especially not here."

"I wouldn't chance it with you, especially not when you added milk _before_ the tea. .... This tea is so sweet."

"Well, I did ask if you would like less sugar. Now my tea is too bitter. I usually take it with seven cubes, and I only had seven cubes left."  
"I know, that's why I asked for four sugars."  
"...."

"Tell me why you wanted to meet, you and I know perfectly well that we aren't the best of allies."

"Nor the worst of enemies."

"I beg to differ, you senile old coot."

"The way you show love astounds me, backhanded compliments? Couldn't you have just said them outright?"

"...That wasn't a compliment. I have no need to show...*love* to anyone."

"Ah, but our dear boy would be the exception to that, no?"

"He is *not* your 'dear boy'. .... Is that why you called me here? To talk about him?"

"Can't I just catch up with an old student of mine?"

"Without an ulterior motive? No."  
"You wound me, you truly do. .... How is he treating you, and you him?"

".... He treats me well, that's all you need to know. And I as well. I...reciprocate whatever he gives me. So we have a...functional relationship."

"That's good, I was afraid you two would go at each other's throat or go down in a fiery fire of passion. I would ask him to meet me, but...he still hates me, doesn't he?"

"He does. And I do still."

"Then why did you accept my summon?"

"Because I know that despite your meddlesome, you care for him in ways that I cannot."  
\---  
"Damn, this tea is way too sweet."

"And mine way too bitter."

**Author's Note:**

> Come poke me and say Hi on [Tumblr](https://coffee-teacup.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
